St. Patrick's Day

We spent our last night in Vegas at Coyote Ugly and Studio 54. It was fun to get dressed up and hit the night clubs. The dance floor was pretty crowded and music was great!


I'm super excited that Toby Keith is opening a bar in MN right by my condo. We went to his bar in Las Vegas and had a good time. They were serving up green beer and free shots when the band played a song "I love this bar"


There was a street party near one of the Irish casinos...we walked around outside and did some shopping too!

Grand Canyon

I took a sunset tour of the Grand Canyon! We left in the early afternoon from Vegas and flew by helicopter over Lake Las Vegas (home to Celine Dion and the Ritz Carlton hotel) then to Hidden Valley and the Valley of Fire, where we saw red rock and sandstone formations as well as some of the most remote, desolate and fascinating desert landscape imaginable.

Once we hit the Grand Canyon, our helicopter made a descent and landed 3,500 feet below the rim in Hualapai Indian Territory. We were served champagne at 300 feet above the mighty Colorado River. On the way back to Vegas, we flew over the Hoover Dam at dusk. Then an exciting flight over Downtown Las Vegas and the mega hotels on the Strip. Here are some pictures:

Vegas 2010

We left on Saturday for Vegas and arrived at the Rio pretty late. There was a little Irish bar right in the hotel called McFaddens. The drinks were delicious and our first night ended at about 4am. The next day I decided to explore the hotel and take the hotel shuttle to the strip. It was great to see the sun and all the hotels. Angie was there for a conference, so she had some commitments during the day (a lot of meetings and networking). I found the hotel Spa and purchased a three day pass. It was a smart choice - they had a small workout room, whirlpool, and relaxation room. It was a nice way to escape the casino/hotel scene. The weather was fantastic all week. I tried hard to escape work responsibilities, but couldn't help checking e-mails on my iphone. I read a great book called "The Question Behind the Question" that talks about personal accountability and purposeful questions. Overall - fabulous time! Enjoy the pictures...



Learning and loving the Craps table...

View from the VooDoo Lounge...


Bellagio...


Toby Keith's I Love This Bar...

Nolan is 3

Super fun birthday weekend for Nolan. My favorite moment was during snack time on Friday when he pulled out three pretzel sticks and laid them in front of him. Then he counted to three and said "I'm going to be three" and then put them all in his mouth! It was so fun to see all the kids together - I can just picture them to be friends for life! Enjoy the fun pictures...

Gymnastics

This was such a highlight for me...I went to gymnastics with my friends and their kids. How cute?! It was such an eye opener for a girl who spends her typical weekdays in meetings! I love their energy, laughter, innocence, curiosity, and love. Nolan and I were jumping on the trampoline together and fell down. He said "I will help you up, Chelsea". I just love these guys and appreciate these moments in life!

Baby Shower for Quinn

Quinn Franklin Johannes was born on 2/20. 8lbs 9oz. He is adorable! It was fun to see Steve and Gretchen at the baby shower...good food, great company. Congratulations!!